No . 134 The Trusty Servant
Robert Bottone Nick Salwey wrote a Vale for The Wykehamist in 2006 on Robert ’ s first retirement , and pays tribute to him again as he finally sees it through , 16 years later :
Many will have passed through their time at Winchester College without really encountering Robert Bottone , but for those fortunate enough to have been taught or accompanied by him or to have heard him perform , their love of music will have been immeasurably enhanced . For thirtysix years he was Music School ’ s anchor , influencing and nurturing countless young Wykehamists , many of whom have gone on to make music their profession . Whilst Robert retired as a full-time don in 2006 , for a further sixteen years he joined the visiting music staff , teaching some very lucky piano pupils .
Robert was born in Leeds , and his parents could not afford to send him for lessons with the obvious local teacher , Fanny Waterman , author of numerous piano beginner ’ s books and founder of the Leeds International Piano Competition . For five years , Robert ’ s mother did needlework and made tapestries in Waterman ’ s house in exchange for free piano lessons , and by his mid-teens Robert was already much in demand as a pianist and accompanist . He was a percussionist for the National Youth Orchestra ( a post Simon Rattle was later to hold ) and an excellent
Robert Bottone organist too , and it was the latter that took him to Oxford as Organ Scholar at Christ Church for both an MA in music and a BMus in Composition . What was it to be - pianist , organist , percussionist , composer , or academic ?
We are hugely fortunate that he chose the least assuming of paths . After Oxford , he went to Stowe as organist . Angus Watson was then in charge of Stowe ’ s music and when he came to Winchester College as Master of Music he insisted on bringing Robert with him . Robert conducted Music Club and played the organ in Chapel , and it was to be several years before he managed to make the piano his exclusive domain . As a teacher , performer , and as a person , Robert has always been phenomenally modest and self-effacing . There are no prima donna qualities at work , no self-seeking virtuosity : the music is always foremost . His pupils give performances of exceptional beauty and maturity , demonstrating stunning control of tone and sonorities , the hallmarks of Robert ’ s teaching and his own playing . Over the years there have been countless successes , including Ian Fountain in 1987 , aged eighteen , the youngest-ever winner of the Artur Rubinstein Competition , and Nic Hodges , a soloist at the Proms this summer and a recent soloist with Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra .
Perhaps Robert ’ s most vital and enduring contribution to the school has been as architect of the chamber music series . For a school to boast so many chamber music performances , term after term , that achieve the extraordinary level of technical and musical excellence they do is quite unique . Hundreds of Wykehamists , past and present , have known the joy and inspiration of being accompanied by Robert : the care with which he prepares everything he plays , the musical insights generously shared with even the most dilatory of practisers , the gentle encouragement of his approach and demeanour , and of course the modest brilliance of his own playing .
It is with huge admiration and respect that we see him actually retire , at the end of a wonderful , generous career , and we hope to continue to see him at concerts here , enjoying the fabulous legacy that he has created .
Alex Humphreys ( Maths since 2014 ; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory )
Luke Ronaldson ( Co Ro , 13- ) writes : Alex arrived in 2014 straight out of the rarefied atmosphere of Jesus College , Oxford , with little teaching experience , but brimming with enthusiasm for teaching and mathematics . While his love of the subject has never dimmed , he has decided that 25 terms of school mastering is just about enough and he will leave Winchester at the end of Short Half .
Alex ’ s style in the classroom reflects his true personality . He is humorous and kind with his pupils and always keen to share his nerdy passion for maths . Although he has taught expertly across all years and abilities , he has repeatedly taught the best mathematicians in the school as the don of 5FMa and has been undaunted by their abilities and appetite for ‘ hard maths ’.
He is renowned for his love of quirky problems and is only too happy to break an Exeat email embargo to show me the latest puzzle to have caught his eye . Indeed he has been a valuable contributor of zingy problems for the Entrance and Election maths papers for the last few years .
Alex spent four years as a Freddie ’ s tutor before becoming Assistant
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